by Cecilia Lane
He throbbed his release deep inside her as she writhed against him, milking him with her own screaming climax.
Bite. Mate.
He reared back at his bear’s sending. Too tempting. He wanted to sink his fangs in her flesh and bind them together. He wanted to ruin her for everyone else. Claim her.
She belonged with him.
No.
Not until she understood. Not until she wanted to stay. He couldn’t bind himself to someone that would leave. She had a life outside of the enclave and he would never leave his clan to the likes of Bruce. Their worlds were too different to count on anything as permanent as a claiming mark.
He collapsed against her, then rolled to his side and tucked her against him. Fuck, he could barely breathe. He smoothed back her hair and wrapped an arm around her. Her chest heaved just as much as his own and her heart thundered.
“Stay tonight,” he murmured.
She was an outsider, human… and he couldn’t imagine letting her go for the night or the rest of his life. Not after the explosion made loss all too real. Not after seeing her on the dance floor with someone else. She belonged with him.
And she’d leave the first chance she got.
“Mmm,” she nodded and he planted a kiss against her temple. “As if I could make my legs work after that.”
She settled him in a way that hadn’t happened before, and certainly not since he’d taken over for Pop. He could choose to let her in or he could keep on as before. Neither were good, safe options. Only one would keep him sane.
Either way, he could pretend she was his until the morning.
Chapter 14
Callum rapped his knuckles against the screen door before letting himself inside his father’s home. “Pop? Louise? Anyone here?”
“In the kitchen,” Louise called out, just as she did most mornings.
There was much to be done before the end of the day and before he could see Leah again. Just the stray thought of her had him hard in his jeans. His bear clawed at his insides to be done with all the human garbage and get her back to their den. He’d never get enough of waking her with his head between her legs and hearing her sleepy sighs turn to panted gasps.
Callum grunted and adjusted himself before he rounded the corner into the kitchen. Too much work to be done to shirk his duties. He had little over an hour to go before the leaders of the town gathered for information.
Cole would provide updates on his investigation into the explosion. The mixed shifter crew that ran the police department would work with Cole to find the person responsible. Other crews would need instructions and timetables to begin repairs. They’d done something similar around Christmas when the coffee shop went up in flames. At least then they knew right away who set the fire.
Just thinking about the day ahead made his head hurt. His bear clawed at him again, harder than before. It’d be so easy to let the beast have his skin and head out into the trees around Pop’s home. Maybe never show up to the office. Maybe let Bearden become someone else’s problem.
Callum frowned, knowing it’d never be that easy. Someone was more than welcome to take over as Bearden’s mayor. But he knew he could never let the town go without a fight. The enclave was his home and the people there his friends and neighbors. He couldn’t abandon them without knowing they were in safe hands.
So he grit his teeth and trudged through the house. He needed to make his morning visit to Pop, then dive right into the headache that awaited him.
He found his father spooning grapefruit into his mouth and Louise working the crossword puzzle in the morning paper. She jerked her head to the pot of coffee. Callum nodded and pulled down a mug. “Thanks, Louise. Go snag the groceries and I’ll watch him until you get back.”
“He’s clear-headed this morning,” Louise said and gathered up her purse.
The woman was a saint for caring for his father. The man was hardened by a tough life and years as alpha. He was more than a handful when he got ornery.
“He’s sitting right here,” Ephraim Strathorn called over his shoulder with a scowl.
Callum grinned, waved Louise out the door, and took a seat across from his father. Rings and scratches decorated the wood table. He could remember putting some of them there himself, brawling with Cole as boys.
“You look more relaxed than ever, my boy,” Pop stated. His nostrils flared and a wicked smile spread across his face. “Who’s the lucky lady?”
He waited until Louise’s engine turned over and the gravel under the tires crunched. No need to spread gossip before he knew what to do. He was thankful his father seemed lucid that morning. Of anyone in the town he could ask for advice, his father was the only one to have dealt with anything similar. “Not so lucky. She’s human, Pop. The one that wrecked her car?”
“Ah, the outsider. Guard your heart, my boy. Nothing good came come from loving an outsider.” Ephraim spooned another mouthful of grapefruit between his lips and gazed out the window. “Mere doesn’t want to stay. If not for me, think of our boys, I told her.”
Callum hung his head. In the short time between chewing and swallowing, his father’s mind slipped into the past. The episodes were getting more frequent and lasting longer. “Pop, it’s just me. Mom is gone.”
Ephraim frowned and blinked in confusion. Recognition was slow to hit, but he finally gave Callum a welcoming smile. “Callum. So good of you to stop by. How is the station doing?”
Callum grimaced. It killed him to see his father fading right before his eyes. The man had been a strong presence his entire life. “It’s fine, Pop. Just fine. Got some new gear coming in soon.”
He lost his taste for the coffee in his mug. He gathered his father’s empty plate and dumped everything into the sink to wash while he waited for Louise to return.
His father stared out the nearest window. “I should have made her a part of this place.”
“What?”
“She says she can’t be separate and the one for me. That was the mistake I made with her and I can’t fix it. She couldn’t be on the outside and inside all at once. I never made her truly part of my life and she resents me for it.”
And there was Callum’s problem. He’d already brought a forbidden human into the enclave. To turn her would force her into his way of life and give her acceptance within the town. With that acceptance, though, came giving up her entire life on the outside.
He could see her already chafing under her territory limitations. She’d try to leave as soon as she was deemed trustworthy enough to be allowed outside their borders. Putting a bear in her would do nothing to help her accept a life in the enclave.
Claimed and changed, it didn’t matter. Leah was still an outsider and it was only a matter of time before she left.
Chapter 15
Callum leaned back and wished for a window to glance through, even if it meant he’d see the ugly blue tarps covering the side of town hall or crews working over the scene. It’d still be days before any ordinary office work was allowed in that side of the building. Stacks of file boxes lined the walls of the inner conference room, waiting to be picked through or shoved back into the appropriate offices. Those were only gathered under the supervision of the fire and police crews, to control access to the scene.
Callum cleared his throat and the men and women in front of him and at his sides shifted on their seats. They were all leaders in the town, from the smallest clan of bears to the large police department. And they all wanted answers. “Where do we stand on the actual explosion?”
At least the rest of his clan stood against the back wall, as far from some others on the police force as possible. There was comfort in their presence, and in their predictable rivalry.
Cole shifted in his seat next to Callum, tossed a glance to Judah, the alpha of the police force, then stood. “Not much remained for evidence. It all went up, exactly as our firebug planned. Initial viewing suggests a highly explosive, high heat, remote detonation.”
; “I could have told you that,” someone in the gathering murmured.
Cole tongued his teeth and went on, voice raised in irritation. “Which means our suspect could have been anywhere. It could have been planted in the walls for weeks before he pressed the button. What we do know is the person who planted the device was extremely careful not to leave fingerprints.”
Judah stood as Cole sat back down. “We’ve requested and started viewing any security footage in the area. However, many of our businesses don’t have security cameras or keep records for more than a week at a time. We have a team working over all evidence collected to process for fingerprints.”
Callum nodded and addressed the audience. “As soon as the fire and police crews clear the scene, construction can get to work on repairs.”
An inner door opened and let in one final guest. He’d chosen the inner conference room with its lack of windows and an easy entrance to the tunnels under the town for a reason but wasn’t sure if Victor would join. The vampire king shied away from public appearances, especially in the daylight.
Bruce’s nose crinkled with disgust. “The night creatures are joining us?”
Victor didn’t even favor Bruce with a glance. He glided forward and took an empty seat in the front row. “Of course,” he said softly. He hardly ever raised his voice above a whisper. “The safety of the enclave is as important to us as it is to your kind.”
Victor, with the air of royalty, didn’t wait for anyone’s response before launching into his news. “The tunnels leading to the Broken weren’t disturbed and are still standing, as I’m sure Byron will be happy to report. Curiously, we found lock picking equipment next to our innermost door. Opened, tools scattered as if our thief had been disturbed.”
“Someone tried to break in?” Callum’s eyebrows furrowed. Not one bit of information like that had been in his reports.
The tunnels were needed for the vampires to partake in any daytime activity. Most were happy to work at night, but others needed to make social calls or run errands just like the rest of the townspeople. But while the tunnels existed and had access points all over town, the vampires exclusively used them.
“Maybe, maybe not,” Victor spread his hands wide. “It could simply be a distraction of planted evidence.”
More trouble to mull. Remote explosions and someone attempting to infiltrate the vampire coven didn’t bode well for the town or the Broken. The sleeping figures needed to stay safe to keep the enclave safe. He searched out Byron in the crowd. “Where do we stand with damage done to the deepest hallway and in light of Victor’s information?”
Byron, one of the construction crew leaders, threw an arm over the back of his chair. “The locks will all be upgraded. The tunnels themselves weren’t damaged. I wouldn’t recommend moving the Broken at this time. They’re safer where they are than any temporary shelter.”
Bruce tossed him a malevolent grin before speaking. “This never happened until our temporary mayor took his position.”
Right on the heels of Bruce’s words, another voice rose up. “What about that human? This all happened after she was let into the enclave.”
Callum expected silence. No one would have questioned his father’s decision to bring a woman with injuries into the enclave.
The murmuring agreements sent the threat of a chill down his spine. How many faces staring back at him had penned or instructed others to pen complaints about Leah’s presence? The stack of papers Allison shoved at him before the explosion was far too thick and far too dangerous after an attack inside the enclave. It wouldn’t take much to light another explosion against his mate.
Not his mate, he corrected. She wasn’t his, even if he’d do anything to protect her.
“This isn’t unprecedented,” he explained in a mostly even tone. Best not to show them how close he was to snapping at the perceived threat to Leah. “Enclaves have been attacked before. Dark fae, rogues, the stray human group that’s discovered our kind. It’s happened before and all we can do is prepare for another attack.”
“You’re saying it’ll happen again?”
“I’m saying we need to be ready. As always. We know what’s out there for us. We know why the Broken sacrificed themselves to make the enclaves. We’ll do what’s necessary to defend our homes.”
“Ready to fuck our enemies and defend them over our own people, maybe,” Bruce said snidely.
Callum roared and the mutterings ceased. He stood slowly and planted his hands on the table. He needed the connection to something solid to calm him from bursting into his bear. His control was a frayed thread away from snapping. “Everyone. Out,” he said, voice tight.
His eyes locked on Bruce, who remained leaning against the back wall. The rest of the clan shot glances to him, then to Cole, then shuffled into the hallway. Didn’t matter if they stayed or left. They’d surely hear different stories from Cole and Bruce, which was a problem of its own.
Bruce was poison to their clan.
“You will not speak to or of Leah again,” he snarled at the man.
Bruce sauntered up the empty aisle. “The human hasn’t chosen. She hasn’t been bitten. She belongs to no one and you can’t order me to do shit, alpha.”
“You’ll do well to shut your damn mouth right now,” Callum warned.
Bruce shook his head and snarled. “Just because she’s your fucktoy this week, doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way forever.”
Callum jumped over the table. He wrapped his hand around Bruce’s throat and pinned him to the nearest wall. He threw all the power of his bear at the man, trying to make him submit, but Bruce just grinned wildly. He had enough of a monster under his skin that he wouldn’t back down easily.
Callum growled. Bruce was going to push for alpha. He just knew it. It was too close of a struggle between them. The clan was too uneasy with his father’s illness and his attention divided. It was an opportunity that Bruce couldn’t let slide.
And if he took alpha, he could order Callum off Leah. He could change her, pull her into the clan, claim her against her will.
Bruce just asked for death. Only a Strathorn would lead the clan and no one would touch Leah. His bear roared to life inside his head, shooting off one image after another of the man and his bear bleeding all over the ground.
“Do it,” Bruce dared. “Do it. Fight me for alpha. Fight me for that bitch’s cunt.”
Callum slammed his fist into Bruce’s cheek. His breath left his lungs when a blow landed in his stomach.
They were on the floor then, rolling and throwing punches where they could until Cole waded in with swift kicks. He yanked Bruce back by the collar of his shirt. “Bruce, back down. As Chief of your fucking house, back the fuck down.”
Bruce continued to growl.
“One week, night shift.”
Bruce still didn’t stop. Cole passed a hand over his face. “One month.”
That broke his concentration. He flicked a glance to Cole, then fixed his glare back on Callum. Callum bared his teeth. “You’re putting me with the vamps and newbies?”
“Until you learn some fucking discipline, you’ll be treated like a probie. One month, Bruce. Fix your attitude and then we’ll talk.”
With a snarl, Bruce stomped out of the conference room.
Callum wiped at some blood from his mouth before standing. Fuck, it felt good to beat on Bruce. The man was strong, though. No alpha fight was a sure thing, but Bruce would definitely be a challenge if they came down to a true battle instead of just brawling.
Cole hung back. “You need to take alpha,” he hissed.
“Pop—”
“Pop isn’t coming back, Callum! Get that through your head. He’s not getting better and he’s not coming back. Not as mayor, not as a firefighter. He’s dying.” Anger clung to him. Agitated him until he couldn’t stop fidgeting.
Callum blew out a long breath. “I know. What do you want me to say? I know he’s not coming back. I know he can’t lead the clan.”<
br />
“So do it yourself.” Cole dragged his hands through his hair. “I can barely hold it together at the house. You saw what it took to pull Bruce back. The rest of them, they’re a wreck. I’m honestly glad to be rid of Bruce to the vamps. Maybe he’ll piss one of them off and they’ll take care of the problem neither one of us have been able to contain.”
“If we could be so lucky,” Callum muttered. Cole’s words cut him deep. He saw more than he let on, which was what made him a good second. He was there to defend Callum whenever he needed it, and to tell him when he needed to get back on track.
He didn’t need the latest reminder to know how many directions he was being pulled and how much he was fucking up every part of his life.
“Fuck, Callum. I need my alpha, too. I’m all...” He pressed a hand to his heart and paced. “I can’t settle. I want to kill everyone. I’m spending more and more time as my bear.”
“I just need more time,” Callum said. “Pop needs to be settled and someone needs to take over as mayor. Then I can take alpha.”
“Take it before someone else does.” Cole sighed and pulled a folded paper from his back pocket. “And you know what? Maybe Bruce isn’t wrong on this one. Your girl has some questions to answer.”
Frowning, Callum took the paper from his brother. His eyebrows shot up as he understood what the words were saying. Leah’s face stared back at him, though younger than he knew her and without any wild color. The name didn’t match what she’d given him, either. He read the words over and over.
“Who else has seen this?”
“Nolan brought it to me this morning. He was talking to our police contact in the human town to the south and saw it hanging up on their board.”
Callum carefully folded the paper and stuffed it into his pocket. “Keep this quiet, will you? I’ll get to the bottom of it.”
Leah Alderson, not Arden, was wanted for murder.
Chapter 16
“The new decorations arrived!” Faith announced and dropped the box in Becca’s lap.